Job 8
1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,
Alors Baldad de Suhé prit la parole et dit:
2 “How long will you say these things? How long will the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?
Jusques à quand tiendras-tu ces discours, et tes paroles seront-elles comme un souffle de tempête?
3 Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert righteousness?
Est-ce que Dieu fait fléchir le droit, ou bien le Tout-Puissant renverse-t-il la justice?
4 Your children have sinned against him; we know this, for he gave them into the hand of their sins.
Si tes fils ont péché contre lui, il les a livrés aux mains de leur iniquité.
5 But suppose you diligently sought God and presented your request to the Almighty.
Pour toi, si tu as recours à Dieu, si tu implores le Tout-Puissant,
6 If you are pure and upright, then he would surely stir himself on your behalf and restore you to your rightful place.
si tu es droit et pur, alors il veillera sur toi, il rendra le bonheur à la demeure de ta justice;
7 Even though your beginning was small, still your final condition would be much greater.
ton premier état semblera peu de chose, tant le second sera florissant.
8 Please ask the former generations, and give your attention to what our ancestors learned.
Interroge les générations passées, sois attentif à l'expérience des pères: —
9 (We were only born yesterday and know nothing because our days on earth are a shadow).
car nous sommes d'hier, et nous ne savons rien, nos jours sur la terre passent comme l'ombre; —
10 Will they not teach you and tell you? Will they not speak words from their hearts?
ne vont-ils pas t'enseigner, te parler, et de leur cœur tirer des sentences:
11 Can papyrus grow without a marsh? Can reeds grow without water?
« Le papyrus croît-il en dehors des marais? Le jonc s'élève-t-il sans eau?
12 While they are still green and not cut down, they wither before any other plant.
Encore tendre, sans qu'on le coupe, il sèche avant toute herbe.
13 So also are the paths of all who forget God; the hope of the godless will perish.
Telles sont les voies de tous ceux qui oublient Dieu; l'espérance de l'impie périra.
14 His confidence will break apart, and his trust is as weak as a spider's web.
Sa confiance sera brisée; son assurance ressemble à la toile de l'araignée.
15 He leans on his house, but it will not support him; he takes hold of it, but it does not stand.
Il s'appuie sur sa maison, et elle ne tient pas; il s'y attache, et elle ne reste pas debout.
16 Under the sun he is green, and his shoots go out over his entire garden.
Il est plein de vigueur, au soleil, ses rameaux s'étendent sur son jardin,
17 His roots are wrapped about the heaps of stone; they look for good places among the rocks.
ses racines s'entrelacent parmi les pierres, il plonge jusqu'aux profondeurs du roc.
18 But if this person is destroyed out of his place, then that place will deny him and say, 'I never saw you.'
Si Dieu l'arrache de sa place, sa place le renie: Je ne t'ai jamais vu.
19 See, this is the “joy” of such a person's behavior; other plants will sprout out of the same soil in his place.
C'est là que sa joie se termine, et du même sol d'autres s'élèveront après lui. »
20 See, God will not cast away an innocent man; neither will he take the hand of evildoers.
Non, Dieu ne rejette pas l'innocent, il ne prend pas la main des malfaiteurs.
21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, your lips with shouting.
Il remplira ta bouche d'éclats de rire, et mettra sur tes lèvres des chants d'allégresse.
22 Those who hate you will be clothed with shame; the tent of the wicked will be no more.”
Tes ennemis seront couverts de honte, et la tente des méchants disparaîtra.
